BEIJING — China's military will shift its conscription from once a year to twice a year, starting from 2021, a military spokesperson said at a press conference on Jan 28.

Approved by the State Council and the Central Military Commission, recruitment for the first half of the year will run from Feb 20 to March 31, and the recruitment for the second half will run from Aug 15 to Sept 30, said Wu Qian, the spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense.

The recruits will be mainly selected from college students, especially those majoring in science and engineering, Wu said, noting that applicants can sign up at www.gfbzb.gov.cn for more information.

China planned to start recruiting twice a year for the armed forces from 2020, however, the recruitment in the first half of last year was postponed according to the country's COVID-19 prevention measures and was combined with that of the second half.